World Briefing | Europe: Vatican City: Pope Installs 15 New Cardinals

By PETER KIEFER (NYT)

Published: March 25, 2006

Pope Benedict XVI elevated 15 prelates from 11 countries to cardinal at a ceremony at the Vatican, the first created since he was chosen pope last April. The new cardinals included two Americans, Sean Patrick O'Malley, 61, the archbishop of Boston, and William J. Levada, 69, the former archbishop of San Francisco and Portland who now has Benedict's old job of prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Two others were Bishop Joseph Zen Ze-kiun of Hong Kong, 78, a frequent critic of the mainland, and Pope John Paul II's longtime personal secretary, Archbishop Stanislaw Dziwisz of Krakow, 66. The ceremony raised the total number of cardinals to 193. Twelve of the new cardinals are under the age of 80 and are thus eligible to elect Benedict's successor. PETER KIEFER (NYT)